Dog getting too fat?
Replies
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How much exercise does your dog get? My German Shepherd has bad legs (hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia and arthritis) but still gets around 2 hours a day to keep her body and mind healthy. As for food, I'm not sure if this is just in the UK, but Orijen is pretty good kibble. Or you could always feed raw? I don't feed raw myself but a lot of my friends do and their dogs thrive on it. Something to consider.0
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Why why would humans want to inflict their ethics onto animals? Changing the physiology of an animal to fit into your ethics just blows my mind away. Cat's are obligate carnivores! To not eat meat is death for them. Sorry tangent but this just scares me that someone would inflict their beliefs onto animals.
this is false for both dogs and cats. some animals have a hard time digesting animal protein and are actually advised onto vegetarian diets. my cousins dog is a vegetarian because he will get sick and die if he eats the regular dog foods.
?? Ever think of the possibility that maybe that dog *should* be dead then?0 -
Your dog is absolutely adorable! I would check with your vet first, but honestly, she looks a little chubby to me. I know it's hard when they look at you with those sweet eyes, but you have to do what's best for her because if she could, she would keep eating all the time. Dogs are always hungry, so it's up to us to control what they eat.
You should stop feeding her human food. I know it's hard, but it's the best thing for her. If she associates your food with hers, she'll just keep begging whenever you eat. I really avoid feeding my dog any human food. I trained him to stay away when we're eating, so if he gets too close I just say "out" and when he walks away, I give him lots of praise for listening to me.
I feed my dog Blue Buffalo lamb and brown rice, and he gets most of his treats when we are out walking or hiking, so I know he's burning them off anyway. I also break his treats up into very small pieces because dogs are just as happy with a smaller piece, and it's easier on their waistlines too. Also, walking is great exercise for you and your dog, so I would try walking her as much as possible. I walk mine for at least an hour a day, and he loves it.0 -
I'm having a problem with my 5 year old yellow labrador (human years). She's always been a little chubby.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Chubby dog? Be careful where you leave her when you go out of town.
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Your pup is absolutely beautiful!
Why don't you put her on a raw food diet...it's quite inexpensive. If that is not your cup of tea (it can be quite time consuming) I am sure if you do some research you can find ways to wean her off people food. Dogs cannot digest human food as humans can.
Be sure to walk or exercise her three times a day and if you can’t, check your local listings for a reputable dog walker.
Good luck!0 -
Why why would humans want to inflict their ethics onto animals? Changing the physiology of an animal to fit into your ethics just blows my mind away. Cat's are obligate carnivores! To not eat meat is death for them. Sorry tangent but this just scares me that someone would inflict their beliefs onto animals.
Oh, I'm not vegan. My vet recommended a vegan diet because they were so overweight. If you see the progress pics I posted on page 2, you can see how much of a difference it's made. Seeing their progress does make me consider trying it, but I really love meat.0 -
Cat's are very much obligate carnivores. I'm not sure what kind of disease your cousin dog has, but wolves in the wild will primarily consume animal protein with substitutes from seasonal fruits.
My hound is allergic to anything but fish.
He can't have any sort of meat or he breaks out in rashes and throws up and stuff. And yea we feed him wuerva so it's SUPER high quality.
If people can be allergic to water and common stuff I don't see why it's crazy that some dogs (especially purebreds) would have stomach issues.
Because of the lymphangiectasia my German Shepard has she can't have normal dog food either.
Purebred's very much have issues with GI and hyper immune systems we humans have done a great job of breeding diseases into the otherwise strong and varied canidae family.0 -
Oooh, cute dog.... yes, she's a bit fat.
How to slim down your dog:
(1) Find out what she should weigh - talk to the vet
(2) Buy a good quality dog food - talk to the vet again or go to a good pet store
(3) Read the label on the side of the bag that tells you X amount of food per day = a dog that weighs X pounds. If you have any questions, call the dog food company (the bag will have an 1-800 number) or call the vet.
(4) Measure out the dog food by using a measuring cup.
(5) No snacks, unless you factor that into the amount of cups per day.
(6) No people food. No Oreos (chocolate can be fatal to dogs).
Good luck. Your dog should lose at the rate of 1-2 pounds a month if you follow this.... it's the method I used to take some pounds off my collie.
Thank you! Is there anyway to calculate her macros? Specifically I'm concerned about her losing lean body mass and slowing down her metabolic rate. Does anyone know how much protein,carbs, and fat a 30 kilogram (66lb) Labrador may need? Or calorie intake? Is there a site like this for dogs?0 -
Your pup is absolutely beautiful!
Why don't you put her on a raw food diet...it's quite inexpensive. If that is not your cup of tea (it can be quite time consuming) I am sure if you do some research you can find ways to wean her off people food. Dogs cannot digest human food as humans can.
Be sure to walk or exercise her three times a day and if you can’t, check your local listings for a reputable dog walker.
Good luck!
Aren;t the ingredients in a raw diet "people food?" Or do you get special dog-grade beef?0 -
Very cute dog.
Dogs are meant to eat natural foods like fruits, vegetables, and meat. Better yet, actual dog food.0 -
Cat's are very much obligate carnivores. I'm not sure what kind of disease your cousin dog has, but wolves in the wild will primarily consume animal protein with substitutes from seasonal fruits.
My hound is allergic to anything but fish.
He can't have any sort of meat or he breaks out in rashes and throws up and stuff. And yea we feed him wuerva so it's SUPER high quality.
If people can be allergic to water and common stuff I don't see why it's crazy that some dogs (especially purebreds) would have stomach issues.
Because of the lymphangiectasia my German Shepard has she can't have normal dog food either.
Purebred's very much have issues with GI and hyper immune systems we humans have done a great job of breeding diseases into the otherwise strong and varied canidae family.
That we have. Both my guys are rescues. I do not condone breeding at all... but it;s there and has created so many healthy issues.0 -
Why why would humans want to inflict their ethics onto animals? Changing the physiology of an animal to fit into your ethics just blows my mind away. Cat's are obligate carnivores! To not eat meat is death for them. Sorry tangent but this just scares me that someone would inflict their beliefs onto animals.
Oh, I'm not vegan. My vet recommended a vegan diet because they were so overweight. If you see the progress pics I posted on page 2, you can see how much of a difference it's made. Seeing their progress does make me consider trying it, but I really love meat.
Wow, I'm surprised a vet recommended a vegan diet for cats, but maybe theres new research out there. Or is the vet a vegan?0 -
Labs are prone to weight gain. I have a golden retriever. He gets a hell of a lot of walking and his diet is fairly strict. I tried taking him running the other day but he flaked out on me. He seems to be in good shape, just not cut out for running :S
So it's genetics then? My family is fat so I had to work extra hard to get in shape. Do I need to do the same for my dog? My sister is currently training for the Berlin marathon. Perhaps my dog should start her training schedule?
you shouldn't jump right into your sister's training schedule. you should start your dog off w/ C25K. you can get wireless headphones for her, so that she can hear when it's time to change pace.
and remember not to let her eat after 7pm.0 -
Your pup is absolutely beautiful!
Why don't you put her on a raw food diet...it's quite inexpensive. If that is not your cup of tea (it can be quite time consuming) I am sure if you do some research you can find ways to wean her off people food. Dogs cannot digest human food as humans can.
Be sure to walk or exercise her three times a day and if you can’t, check your local listings for a reputable dog walker.
Good luck!
Aren;t the ingredients in a raw diet "people food?" Or do you get special dog-grade beef?
Seriously>? No people food just means Feed your dog boiled chicken, not chicken that's been breaded or fried or seasoned or in sauces.
No people food means no table scraps.
My GS is on a home made diet and it's "people grade food" but it's not my leftovers. You have absolutely no concept of canine nutrition.0 -
I personally like a girl with curves. But alas someone will say she isn't curvy, rather obese.0
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Your pup is absolutely beautiful!
Why don't you put her on a raw food diet...it's quite inexpensive. If that is not your cup of tea (it can be quite time consuming) I am sure if you do some research you can find ways to wean her off people food. Dogs cannot digest human food as humans can.
Be sure to walk or exercise her three times a day and if you can’t, check your local listings for a reputable dog walker.
Good luck!
Aren;t the ingredients in a raw diet "people food?" Or do you get special dog-grade beef?
Seriously>? No people food just means Feed your dog boiled chicken, not chicken that's been breaded or fried or seasoned or in sauces.
No people food means no table scraps.
My GS is on a home made diet and it's "people grade food" but it's not my leftovers. You have absolutely no concept of canine nutrition.
People can't eat boiled chicken. Got it.0 -
My black labs world is ruled by his stomach so we have to be careful!!!!! He gets fatter in the summer because with the heat here we spend much more time indoors. I only allow him a total of 2 cups of weight control formula each day and I split it into 2 meals. He will get 2 cookies a day and sometimes I will switch a regular meal with either raw ground beef or cooked chicken breast. He will occasionally get an apple as s treat.
If I don't watch what he eats, he will get very fat because he is not as active as most labs. 2 years ago I was able to get him to drop about 10lbs just by portion control with his meals.
Good Luck!0 -
I have a fat corgi on a diet, I switced her to high quality pet food and feeding her one cup of food a day ( thats what the vet said to feed her) and she has lost about 5 lbs in a month. I give her un salted green beens for a filler if she seems to hungry, Ive also heard pumpkin is good too.0
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My black labs world is ruled by his stomach so we have to be careful!!!!! He gets fatter in the summer because with the heat here we spend much more time indoors. I only allow him a total of 2 cups of weight control formula each day and I split it into 2 meals. He will get 2 cookies a day and sometimes I will switch a regular meal with either raw ground beef or cooked chicken breast. He will occasionally get an apple as s treat.
If I don't watch what he eats, he will get very fat because he is not as active as most labs. 2 years ago I was able to get him to drop about 10lbs just by portion control with his meals.
Good Luck!
Thank you! My dog gets about an hour to two hours a day of walking/ running. She just got spayed so her activity is down a bit.
What kind of cookies do you give your dog? I've heard chocolate is bad for them so I tend to give Peggy peanut butter or oatmeal raisin.0 -
Oooh, cute dog.... yes, she's a bit fat.
How to slim down your dog:
(1) Find out what she should weigh - talk to the vet
(2) Buy a good quality dog food - talk to the vet again or go to a good pet store
(3) Read the label on the side of the bag that tells you X amount of food per day = a dog that weighs X pounds. If you have any questions, call the dog food company (the bag will have an 1-800 number) or call the vet.
(4) Measure out the dog food by using a measuring cup.
(5) No snacks, unless you factor that into the amount of cups per day.
(6) No people food. No Oreos (chocolate can be fatal to dogs).
Good luck. Your dog should lose at the rate of 1-2 pounds a month if you follow this.... it's the method I used to take some pounds off my collie.
Thank you! Is there anyway to calculate her macros? Specifically I'm concerned about her losing lean body mass and slowing down her metabolic rate. Does anyone know how much protein,carbs, and fat a 30 kilogram (66lb) Labrador may need? Or calorie intake? Is there a site like this for dogs?
Buy a good brand of dog food (not the brands you can get in a grocery store). The research people for the dog food company will have already found the answers to all your questions about exactly what should be in the dog food and in what proportion. If you have any questions about the ingredients and the proportions, there will be an 800 number on the bag.0 -
Thank you! My dog gets about an hour to two hours a day of walking/ running. She just got spayed so her activity is down a bit.
What kind of cookies do you give your dog? I've heard chocolate is bad for them so I tend to give Peggy peanut butter or oatmeal raisin.
Raisins can be fatal to dogs.0 -
Why why would humans want to inflict their ethics onto animals? Changing the physiology of an animal to fit into your ethics just blows my mind away. Cat's are obligate carnivores! To not eat meat is death for them. Sorry tangent but this just scares me that someone would inflict their beliefs onto animals.
I agree with you. If a pet has a specific medical condition or allergies that prevents it from digesting animal protein, and a vet advised the owners to feed it a vegetarian diet, then that's understandable. However, I wouldn't recommend that for other dogs.
(My dog is actually allergic to chicken, and he would get sick when we fed him a higher quality dog food with more protein. Once the vet and I figured out that chicken was the problem, and we switched him over to lamb, he has been perfectly healthy). However, I think it's selfish when some people feed an animal a vegetarian or vegan diet just because they are.0 -
Your dog will not get a complex from you not letting her eat junk and she won't damage her self-image from people telling you she's overweight. Dogs do have emotions/feelings, but they aren't that complex. The easiest thing for you to do to get her on track is to feed her appropriately.Oooh, cute dog.... yes, she's a bit fat.
How to slim down your dog:
(1) Find out what she should weigh - talk to the vet
(2) Buy a good quality dog food - talk to the vet again or go to a good pet store
(3) Read the label on the side of the bag that tells you X amount of food per day = a dog that weighs X pounds. If you have any questions, call the dog food company (the bag will have an 1-800 number) or call the vet.
(4) Measure out the dog food by using a measuring cup.
(5) No snacks, unless you factor that into the amount of cups per day.
(6) No people food. No Oreos (chocolate can be fatal to dogs).
I agree with most of this. Except, going by what the bag tells you. Those numbers are highly inflated. They are a good starting point, but you still need to be aware of your dog's body condition.
Here is a body contition scoring sheet: http://www.beagles.co.za/www/users/beaglec/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/weight.png
You want to keep her between thin and ideal, as labs are prone to joint issues. You're helping her in the long run.
Don't forget gentle exercise until she rebuilds her muscles. Swimming would be great!
A great resource for dog questions is Dogforum.com. The members give great advice and have tons of experience.0 -
I agree with most of this. Except, going by what the bag tells you. Those numbers are highly inflated. They are a good starting point, but you still need to be aware of your dog's body condition.
Here is a body contition scoring sheet: http://www.beagles.co.za/www/users/beaglec/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/weight.png
You want to keep her between thin and ideal, as labs are prone to joint issues. You're helping her in the long run.
Don't forget gentle exercise until she rebuilds her muscles. Swimming would be great!
A great resource for dog questions is Dogforum.com. The members give great advice and have tons of experience.
This is very helpful thank you. It looks like Peggy is going to have to make some changes.0 -
Oooh, cute dog.... yes, she's a bit fat.
How to slim down your dog:
(1) Find out what she should weigh - talk to the vet
(2) Buy a good quality dog food - talk to the vet again or go to a good pet store
(3) Read the label on the side of the bag that tells you X amount of food per day = a dog that weighs X pounds. If you have any questions, call the dog food company (the bag will have an 1-800 number) or call the vet.
(4) Measure out the dog food by using a measuring cup.
(5) No snacks, unless you factor that into the amount of cups per day.
(6) No people food. No Oreos (chocolate can be fatal to dogs).
Good luck. Your dog should lose at the rate of 1-2 pounds a month if you follow this.... it's the method I used to take some pounds off my collie.
Thank you! Is there anyway to calculate her macros? Specifically I'm concerned about her losing lean body mass and slowing down her metabolic rate. Does anyone know how much protein,carbs, and fat a 30 kilogram (66lb) Labrador may need? Or calorie intake? Is there a site like this for dogs?
*swoon* I love it when you convert the metric system for me. So hot.0 -
Merrick
Blue
Weruva
Wellness
Call of the Wild
are some high quality pet foods.
[/quote]
I have my dogs on Call of the Wild. Very high protein & all natural ingredients! We switched to Call of the Wild from Merrick, mainly because of cost and the fact that Merrick had a lot of variation between kibble in each bag. But my dogs have done wonderfully on both of them. Also if you feel the need to "treat" your dog, there are some very high quality dog treats that are good sources of lean protein, from Welness and Diamond (Call of the Wild)0 -
blue buffalo dog food lost my dog 14 pounds in 2 weeks along with walking that is and hes like your dog lives for food! but he loves the blue buffalo especially the fish flavored0
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My dog is actually allergic to corn and certain grains. If he eats too much of it he gets dry spots, starts losing fur and his coat loses it's shine. So while he can have -some- treats and be fine, his main diet is Blue Buffalo Chicken and Rice.
We had originally started Buster on Blue Buffalo. Then when we moved he decided he didn't like that food, so we had to switch and so went to Taste of the Wild. Then we ended up buying a bad batch of dog food that was tainted with salmanila poisoning we went right back to Blue Buffalo and have been with them ever since. Because of his sensitive stomach we keep him on the chicken and rice formula, and he is looking great. Yes it is a more expensive brand, but the feed store we buy it from does the buy 10 get 1 free, so every 11th bag is free. So once a year we get a free bag of dog food.
We dont' have to regulate his food, he does a good job at not pigging out and only eatting when hungry. But, he also runs an average of 9 miles a week with me.0 -
If you are going to insist on feeding her table food, get a cookbook designed for dogs...that way your dog will still get the proper nutrition.
I know people who have fed their dogs nothing but table food and it was whatever they were eating. The problem is that a lot of the things they were eating were VERY bad for the dogs. Oreos are terrible! The ingredients in those are far worse (not to mention toxic to a dog) than the ingredients in a dry dog food. These dogs did not live very long lives as a result of the malnutrition. One of them had to have all of his teeth removed and ended up getting fatty liver disease and dying at the age of 9 where his breed is supposed to live 13-15 years.
You need to teach your dog to have a healthy relationship with food!0
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